Weekly Witness (week starting 31/01/2021)

We are only a month into 2021, but there is hot news you can’t miss! From the COVID vaccine to the Handball Championships, this month was buzzing with new exciting updates from all over the world. Put your New Year's resolutions aside for a moment and read this week's article.

Sport

Egypt hosted the 27th World’s Men Handball Championship amid COVID-19 concerns. There has been massive support from President Abdel Fatah el Sisi to ensure the safety and success of this competition. He decided that the competition will be staged without fans to ensure COVID-19 precautions. On the 22nd of January, Egypt beat Belarus, with a breath-taking score of 35-26, moving just one win short from quarterfinals. The Egyptian team showed excellent skills in all of their matches, however, some players really stood out; Mamdouh Hashem, veteran player Ahmed El-Ahmar, and promising youngster Ahmed Hesham stole the show. Even though football is the national sport of Egypt, the government is trying to expand Egypt’s appearance in many other sports such as handball. By hosting this tournament, many sports fans will start cheering for the handball players more often. Moreover, we will expect to see the handball shining stars more on TV - from interviews to advertisement campaigns.

Politics

After the supporters of former US president Donald J. Trump’s scandal in the first week of 2021, the US has officially welcomed Biden into the office. On the night before the inauguration , 400 candles were lit to commemorate the lost American lives to the ongoing pandemic. Shortly after being sworn in on January 20th, Biden signed 15 executive actions undoing policies put in place by the Trump administration and making his first moves on the pandemic and climate change. Moreover, Biden revoked Trump's emergency declaration that helped fund the construction of a US -Mexico border wall and ended a travel ban on some majority-Muslim countries.

Health

There have been several types of vaccines developed against COVID-19 and many countries started vaccinating the public. Side effects of the vaccine are still unclear. On 19th of January, Moderna, one of the developers of the vaccine, had received a report from California’s health department that several people at a centre in San Diego were treated for possible allergic reactions to its COVID-19 vaccine. This has caused anxiety within the community and spread the fear of getting vaccinated even further. Many influential and governmental figures used their social media platforms to encourage people to get vaccinated. In Egypt, the Ministry of Health will officially launch a website for COVID-19 registration vaccine. The president mentioned that all people have the right to register on the site, however, the priority should be given to those suffering from chronic diseases and the elderly, while children under the age of 18 and pregnant women should not take it. The vaccine is said to be free of charge.

Social

There is a new initiative taken in Egypt called ‘Be an Ambassador’. In a statement released by Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development, the minister said the initiative is held in partnership with the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD).

The initiative provides Egyptians with an opportunity to develop their skills needed to apply the foundations of social and sustainable development. It will include several training programs as well as service activities. It will also focus on the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and how they can be achieved in Egypt. The ministry invited young people aged between 18 and 35 to join the initiative, with the deadline for applications set for November 2021.